Sharing Web Resources... A Closer Look

The British Association for Early Childhood Education (http://www.early-education.org.uk/) contains several elements relevant to my current professional development. Within Publications and Resources, there is an archive of educational publications that I can use in my research and studies, as well as others for purchase. The Free section contains helpful tools and documents for free download on such things as young children’s social-emotional needs including behavior, and many areas of early academics. These resources are not only helpful to me but to the educators I train and families I work with.

I found nothing controversial within this site but did find the special interest groups to add a whole new level of comprehensive support to early childhood professionals in such areas as communication, science and infant care. There are currently 20 active branches.  The purpose of these special interest groups are to assist those involved in early childhood education across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales through meetings, professional development and networking. These branches are run and managed by volunteers. I find that to be extremely admirable. The model is empowering for professionals who have expertise to offer others.

This website is enmeshed with some elements of neuroscience within the Development Matters publications and information on legislative efforts and campaigns within the region. I did not see specific information related to investment in early childhood. I did find the information regarding the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012 of interest and was able to compare and contrast that document to our current Early Learning Framework.

Getting To Know International Contacts

Alec Duncan of Child’s Play Music is from Perth, Western Australia. He has been in the field for over 20 years now, working in child care, out of school hours care and now traveling around to the various programs through Child’s Play Music. His website is http://childsplaymusic.com.au (Personal Communication, May 1, 2012). His travels allow him exposure to the wide variety of programs for young children; interacting with hundreds of carers and teachers. He is an active opponent of corporal punishment, which is still legal in Australia. We discussed Quality and the National Accreditation System that came into force in the early 90’s. I found this fascinating as it felt like looking at our own future. Many of the features, including a tiered rating system are utilized. The one distinction is the financial backing of free preschool to those centers that qualified. This quickly sifted out the low quality sites as they could no longer afford to continue servicing families. As in Michigan, their system began with self-assessments and a visit from a evaluator. A big difference is that this outside evaluator stayed on site for 3 full days! We are lucky to get a full day in. A plus for us is that our visits are unannounced (within a month’s time) and in Australia, they knew when they were coming making it possible to get their act together for those three days. Duncan shared spot checks are now being implemented, which helped tremendously (Personal Communication, May 2, 2012). He identifies the increased demands for documentation, low pay, and poor public perception of caregivers as resulting in low motivation and high turn-over. I can see this beginning to happen here already and we have barely gotten started with our QRIS. Currently, a more costly, integrated National regulation/accreditation/curriculum system is being rolled out in Australia. The results remain to be seen but certainly puts them right back into some of the growing pains we are currently experiencing with CHANGE.

            Regarding Poverty, due to an extensive social security system, support for parents with children and comprehensive free medical system, most people have access to adequate food and housing, and the basic necessities of life. The minimum wage is higher than that of the United States. However, income inequalities are growing and there are fewer opportunities for a child in the system as opposed to “well-to-do” families (Personal Communication, May 13, 2012). Extreme poverty can be seen with Indigenous Australians or “Aboriginals” Duncan describes conditions as “third world”, especially for those living in remote areas (Personal Communication, May 13, 2012). Australia has a history of oppression and genocidal policies. Fortunately, the status and position of Indigenous Australians within the broader Australian culture has vastly improved, and while prejudice still exists it is vastly decreased.  The government is taking the issues very seriously and a lot of money is being spent to try to fix the problems. Duncan shared the following link; a report on the issue. http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/statistics/index.html#Heading136 (Personal Communication, May 13, 2012)

Liz Butler is a Childminders’ Advisor in North West Dublin, Ireland. She was originally a Montessori Directress and Playgroup Leader and has provided some interesting information on the popularity of Montessori , especially among the wealthy. Butler then worked for 15 years in a Women's Refuge, (Shelter as it would be called in the US) as one of the two children's workers with children from birth to 18 years escaping physical, sexual and / or mental domestic violence. Her current job as a Childminders’ Advisor is providing networking, information, training and support to childminders, (Family Daycare Providers as they would be called in the US) She has been an invaluable source of information about the structure and quality efforts of early childhood in Ireland. 

When discussing quality and Aistear; Ireland’s curriculum framework, she shared the opinions of some parents, educators and even politicians that a push for early academics may do more harm than good as it potentially inhibits learning through play. Butler believes that children “need a supportive but free environment, companions and adults able to observe from a distance and supply that little extra enrichment to the child's own explorations.” (Personal Communication, May 11, 2012) When talking about children in need, she shared about the efforts of Early Start; a play-based program started as a pilot 17 years ago to address falling numbers in schools in deprived areas. With assistance of a childcare worker, classrooms and teachers were retrained and redeployed to take in 3-4 year-olds (Personal Communication, May 11, 2012). There are two sessions a day and each group had the 2 adults, the possibility of several childcare students, resource teachers and fifteen 3-4 year-olds. The program is free and really well resourced in comparison to community or private playgroups and other classes in schools. Unfortunately, there are mixed opinions on the impact on children and families.

Sharing Web Resources...

                The website I am investigating belongs to the British Association for Early Childhood Education (http://www.early-education.org.uk/ ). I spent time this week following the various links on this site and clarifying information with my global contact from Ireland. Liz sent me several emails with links to expand my knowledge of early childhood in Ireland. Siolta is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education (http://www.siolta.ie/siolta_childminding.php ). I found it quite compatible with the framework currently being revised in the United States. She also shared a link for Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework toolkit (http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Early_Childhood_and_Primary_Education/Early_Childhood_Education/Aistear_Toolkit ) Within the toolkit, there are tip sheets and informational leaflets, presentations and podcasts, multimedia resources, play resources and activities, and the curriculum for both preschool and infants/toddlers. Liz also sent me samples of the correspondences she has with “childminders” or child care providers. Her position is similar to that of a child care referral agency consultant here in the US.  According to Liz, there are varying levels of quality within the different types of care, just as there are in the states. There are also varying levels of commitment in response to the national push for quality and measurable outcomes standards. Childminders  specifically aren’t required to take on all the responsibility for quality as all of Ireland’s preschool children are also enrolled in Preschool Playgroups or National School, depending on age.  Interestingly, Montessori is very popular in Ireland, especially with the wealthy, but is not recognized by the Dept. of Education except for children with special needs.

                With this week’s topic in mind, I tried to find information related to diversity and found nothing. It was not even listed in the drop down topics list, nor anything recognizable along these lines. Perhaps it is the term “diversity” that is not recognized. …A good question for my new friend Liz.

Global Connections...

Alec Duncan

I began my search for global connections on Facebook! Jeff Johnson of Explorations Early Learning, LLC graciously helped me out with connections in both Ireland and Australia. He even made the initial contact for me. Thanks Jeff! I look forward to connecting with these two ladies. I also followed my passion for musical instruments and adventurous outdoor play spaces to find Alec Duncan of Child’s Play Music. As it turns out, he is also from Australia. We have already shared several rich email conversations about the state of early childhood in our respective regions. As it turns out, Australia has been through many of the growing pains that we are just now tackling in Michigan and other states around the country with regard to a quality rating system. It’s like a peek into our own future! I tried for connections in both the United Kingdom and Germany but haven’t heard back thus far. I actually had to use Google translate to investigate the website of a preschool program in Germany. Technology is amazing!

The website I chose to investigate belongs to the British Association for Early Childhood Education. Their ethical statement portrays the priority they place on early care and education:

Early Education believes every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfill their potential.  A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances.  A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and provides the foundation for children to make the most of their own abilities and talents as they grow up.

Areas covered within the site include: News and events, membership, publications and resources, policy, projects and campaigns, and training opportunities. I was drawn to this website as it was easy to navigate and had easily identified areas of interest. Over a dozen publications for free download on a variety of early childhood topics are available for caregivers, teachers and parents.